Lakewood Deputies Hospitalized After Rescuing Elderly Man From Burning Home

BELLFLOWER (CBSLA.com) — Two Lakewood deputies and a neighbor are being credited with saving an 85-year-old man from a burning home in Bellflower.

A news release by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said a fire erupted at the home in the 9500 block of Rose Street shortly after noon Saturday. Upon arrival, deputies say they heard a man calling for help.

Metal security bars on the home initially prevented the deputies from getting inside. One of them created a small opening by removing a metal bar and breaking a window.

The statement said the victim’s neighbor, “being of smaller stature was able to squeeze through the small opening the deputies had created in the window.”

The elderly man was subsequently pulled from the smoke-filled home and taken to a hospital. He was later released.

The deputies were also taken to a hospital where they were kept overnight for observation. They were listed in stable condition.

Investigators deemed the fire, which caused an estimated $30,000 in damage, accidental.